Part 1 - Morning Sickness

Did you suffer or are you suffering from morning sickness in your pregnancy? Around 50% of women experience vomiting and around 80% have nausea during pregnancy.

For some women, morning sickness can occur as early as 3 weeks, but usually it begins around weeks 5-8. Even though it’s called ‘morning sickness’, women can be affected at any time throughout the day or night. It usually clears up by weeks 16-20 but for some women unfortunately it can continue throughout the entire pregnancy.

Some women (including the Duchess of Cambridge) experience excessive vomiting which can continue throughout the pregnancy, known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and may be unable to keep down any food or drink and often need hospital treatment. Unfortunately it is not well understood and there is little research on potential causes.

Some tips and tricks for coping with morning sickness:

Take a sick day and rest if you aren’t feeling up to work

Stay hydrated

Eat little and often

Eat ginger – ginger nuts, ginger tea,

Carry a survival kit (toothbrush and toothpaste, chewing gum)

Try sickness bands

Try listening to a hypnosis track for overcoming morning sickness

Remember every pregnancy is different and if you suffered with bad sickness with one pregnancy, it doesn’t mean you will have the same experience again.

I feel very lucky that I only experienced slight nausea during my first trimester in both pregnancies, and this was easily managed by eating constantly! I really sympathise with women who suffer badly.

I'd love to know about your experiences and any tips or tricks you have for coping.